A new name keeps surfacing in functional fitness: ATHX. It is the hybrid fitness competition set up as a direct alternative to HYROX — supported by adidas and, since 2026, recognised as an official CrossFit partner event. Once you move past the noise, the useful questions remain: what ATHX actually is, how a competition is structured, and where it stands next to the formats already out there.
If the broader picture of competitive fitness is still fuzzy, it helps to keep what HYROX is alongside this — it is the reference point everyone compares to. What follows takes ATHX apart, part by part. And because every part of it is trained and contested on a box floor, we also reach what that floor has to withstand: our artificial turf for the box.
01What ATHX is
ATHX — ATHX Games in full — is a hybrid fitness competition: a single day that measures strength, endurance and the ability to keep working under fatigue. It is neither an obstacle race nor a conventional CrossFit competition, but a format of its own, designed for the complete athlete — the one who lifts, runs and endures without needing to lead any single discipline.
Where it comes from: the merger behind it
ATHX began in the United Kingdom in 2023, when two functional-fitness organisers — Strength in Depth and National Fitness Games — combined their events into one series. It has expanded quickly: more than 25 competitions across Europe and the United States, and a steadily growing community.
Why it is gaining attention now
Two developments brought it forward. The first is the backing of adidas, which added brand weight and production. The second, and more recent, is ATHX becoming an official CrossFit partner event — a signal that brings thousands of box athletes towards a competition format that previously sat between their sport and HYROX.
02How a competition is structured
This is where ATHX departs from the norm: rather than one continuous test, it is a day of roughly two and a half hours divided into zones. Competition happens in blocks, with scheduled rest between them, and that reshapes pacing completely. The aim is not to sustain a single effort from start to finish, but to arrive fresh at each zone that counts.
The six zones, in sequence
An ATHX competition progresses through six zones, in this order:
- Warm-Up, ~30 min. A guided preparation. Not scored.
- Strength, ~20 min. The first scored zone.
- Refuel, ~10 min. Rest and refuelling between blocks. Not scored.
- Endurance, ~30 min. The second scored zone.
- Recovery, ~30 min. The second scheduled rest. Not scored.
- Metcon X. The third and final scored zone.
The decisive detail, often learned only by competing: of the six, only three are scored — Strength, Endurance and Metcon X. The others are warm-up, refuelling and recovery. It is precisely this structure, with rest built in, that makes it possible to pursue a true maximum in one zone and then fully empty yourself in a metcon shortly afterwards.
What each scored zone involves
- Strength. The genuine point of difference. In the 2026 season, three lifts are performed to a maximum: a strict press at 1RM, a back squat at 3RM and a deadlift at 5RM. The score is the total weight lifted. This is real maximal strength, not light, high-repetition "strength endurance".
- Endurance. Around 22 minutes to cover as much distance as possible, alternating running and rowing, switching every 750 metres (1,000 in the Pro division). This is the pure aerobic engine: no refined technique compensates here — a base is required.
- Metcon X. The familiar "chipper": a list of functional movements completed straight through, as fast as possible, under a 25-minute cap. The work under fatigue, which reveals whether anything remains at the end of the day.
How scoring works: the sum of placings
This is the element that initially causes most confusion, and it explains the strategy of the format. ATHX does not add kilograms to metres to repetitions — these are different units. Instead, you are ranked within each scored zone, and your placings are then summed. The lowest total wins.
A worked example clarifies it: finishing 6th in Strength, 11th in Endurance and 4th in Metcon X gives 6 + 11 + 4 = 21. Another competitor who wins Strength but places 19th in Endurance and 9th in Metcon totals 29 — behind you, despite the zone win. The all-round principle in brief: being consistent across all three outperforms dominating one and collapsing in another.
03How it compares to HYROX
The most common question, with a clearer answer than expected. HYROX is a continuous, standardised race: eight kilometres divided into eight 1,000-metre runs, each followed by a functional station, with no real pauses from start to finish. It lasts 60 to 90 minutes and, being identical worldwide, allows times to be compared to the second.
ATHX operates differently. It is longer — about two and a half hours — organised into zones with rest, and, most importantly, it introduces maximal strength: in HYROX you never attempt a 1RM, whereas in ATHX it accounts for a third of the score. In short, HYROX rewards the athlete who runs strongly and holds a measurable pace; ATHX rewards the most complete athlete, who also lifts. Neither is "better" — they measure different qualities. (A detailed, station-by-station comparison warrants its own article; here we remain at the overview.)
04Who ATHX suits (and who it does not)
As with any format, ATHX suits certain profiles very well and others not at all. It is worth establishing before entering.
It will suit you if:
- You come from CrossFit or a strength gym and are unwilling to drop heavy lifting in order to compete.
- A long, complete challenge appeals more than a one-hour sprint — you are comfortable managing a multi-hour day.
- You want an event that measures maximal strength as well as your engine, not only the latter.
HYROX (or another format) may suit you better if:
- Running is your strength and you prefer a short, intense race that is measurable to the second.
- Maximal strength work does not appeal and you have no interest in approaching a 1RM.
- You would rather have a worldwide-identical format, so your time can be compared with anyone's.
And if you are starting out, do not exclude yourself: that is the purpose of the Lite division, with scaled loads and demands. ATHX is not reserved for experienced athletes — it is for anyone who wants to test the three pillars of fitness at their own level.
05The divisions explained
The competition is divided into several categories so that almost anyone can take part:
- Lite: the scaled version, with loads and demands adjusted for newcomers.
- ATHX: the standard individual division, the "reference" format.
- Pro: for high-level athletes, with the heaviest loads and longest distances (this is the division running 1,000 metres per leg in Endurance).
- Pairs / Teams: the work is divided between two, one running while the other rows, for instance.
That progression is part of the appeal: you can begin in Lite with years of development ahead, without ever changing competition.
06How to train for ATHX
Because three very different capacities are scored, preparing for ATHX is not a case of drilling a single one. The approach is to train all three without allowing one to erode the others:
- Maximal strength. Train the press, squat and deadlift in low repetition ranges (sets of one to five), because the Strength zone is won in kilograms, not in stamina. It is also what athletes from a cardio background take longest to develop.
- Aerobic engine. Include rowing and running intervals, and practise the transitions between them: switching movement every few hundred metres is more taxing than it appears. The rowing ergometer is especially valuable here.
- Metcon under fatigue. Perform functional circuits when already tired, to learn to maintain technique with an elevated heart rate. This is what decides the final block.
The familiar error is to devote all available time to existing strengths. The strength athlete who avoids rowing, and the runner who avoids lifting, both arrive underprepared for half the zones. ATHX rewards balance, and training should reflect that.
07What a gym needs to train for ATHX
This is where ATHX becomes a matter of facilities, not only of the athlete. A box preparing its members for ATHX must cover the three scored zones, and that requires a floor able to withstand very different demands at once: deadlifts and squats at the limit (loaded bars being dropped), running and rowing intervals, and a Metcon X involving movement and floor work.
That is precisely where many floors fail. Rubber scuffs and develops odour under dragging; timber will not forgive a deadlift bar at 5RM. This is why technical turf has become the standard for these zones: our artificial turf for the box absorbs the impact of a dropped bar, withstands dragging without matting, provides constant grip for sprints and — because the fibre has no direction — wears evenly even when everyone trains on the same lane. A floor designed so that the three zones of ATHX can share one room without destroying it.
08In summary
ATHX is the hybrid fitness competition that has emerged as the principal alternative to HYROX: a day of roughly two and a half hours, run in zones, in which only Strength, Endurance and Metcon X are scored, and your position derives from the sum of your rankings across the three. Its defining feature is placing maximal strength where HYROX places only running and stations, which makes it the test of the most complete athlete. With divisions from Lite to Pro, adidas and CrossFit behind it, and training that requires attention to all three pillars at once, it has every appearance of lasting.
If you run a box and want the space ready for your members to train the three zones without damaging the floor, tell us about it and we will review it with your measurements.
